The First Female LEP Commander
by Heera Malhotra
Summary: The first female LEP commander in fairy history is AnnaMaria, none other than the halfhuman daughter of a previous well loved commander.


Chapter 1

Artemis inhaled the fresh Italian air. "Ah, it's good to be in Venice. Isn't it wonderful, Butler?"

Butler, Artemis' bodyguard stood behind him and grumbled, " 'Wonderful' hardly covers it."

Artemis smiled. "Relax, Butler. We're here on vacation, for once."

"Artemis, I'm your bodyguard. If I relaxed even one muscle, you'd end up with a bullet in your back in under five seconds."

The fourteen year-old genius sighed. "Point well taken, old friend. You're right. I suppose my numerous enemies wouldn't forgive me even if I sent each and every one of them a lavish gift basket?"

Now it was Butler's turn to smile. "No, it isn't very likely that they would."

"Very well, then. Since I'm here, I might as well enjoy it."

"Uh, Artemis, your mother suggested that you make some new friends." Butler reminded him.

"And so I shall." Artemis folded his hands behind his head and looked around him. His eyes lit up when they came to a girl sitting on a nearby bench. The hair that framed her face was dark brown; a laptop was balanced on her knees.

"That girl over there looks very intelligent."

Butler looked in the same direction as Artemis. "She also looks very pretty."

Artemis frowned. "I refuse to comment on that statement. I'll go meet her. You stay here; you might frighten her if you come with me."

The nearly seven-foot tall man sighed. His charge was not making his job any easier. "All right, Artemis. But I'll be watching you. Be careful, and remember, appearances can be deceiving."

"Boy, don't I know it." Artemis approached the girl's bench somewhat timidly. She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen. Her height was about the same as Artemis', maybe a little shorter. She had a cleft chin that made her look both sweet and rebellious. Her dark brown hair was long and complimented her bright green eyes. Artemis felt like he had seen those eyes before. He took a deep breath and spoke in Italian. "_Scusa_ (Excuse me)."

The girl looked up from the screen of her laptop. "_Si?_"

Artemis extended his hand to her. "_Ciao, mi chiamo Artemis. E tu?_" ("Hello, my name is Artemis. And you?")

The girl took his hand and shook it warmly. "_Piacere, Artemis. Mi chiamo Anna-Maria._" ("Nice to meet you, Artemis. My name is Anna-Maria.")

"Do you speak English, Anna-Maria?"

"Certainly." Artemis was surprised. Her Italian had been perfect, but her English carried no hint of a foreign accent.

"May I sit down?" He asked.

Anna-Maria shifted her things on the bench. "Go ahead."

Artemis settled down next to her. "Thank you. Are you Italian, Anna-Maria?"

Anna-Maria nodded. "Yes."

"And do you live here, in Venice?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. I was born in Venice, though. But you are not Italian. Your Italian is magnificent, but you seem to be Irish. Are you?"

"Yes, I am Irish." Artemis replied.

Anna-Maria smiled. "Are you Artemis Fowl the Second?"

He looked at her sharply. "Yes. But I've reformed. I am no longer a criminal, mostly."

Anna-Maria nodded and began to speak in Gnommish. "Yes, I know that. You see, I have been waiting for you, Artemis Fowl."

Artemis felt slightly uneasy when she said that, but he kept his tone natural as he too reverted to the fairy language. "What do you mean? How did you know I would be here?"

Anna-Maria tucked some of her hair behind her right ear. An ear, Artemis noticed, that wasn't entirely humanoid. It was a bit pointy, more of a fairy ear than a human one. It wasn't a bad-looking ear though. And her earring was nice. "Don't be frightened. Foaly sent me. I am actually half-fairy."

Artemis was curious. "So you have one human parent and one fairy parent?"

Again Anna-Maria nodded.

"Which parent was which?"

"My mother was human, my father was a fairy."

"What kind?" Her father couldn't be a troll, a gnome, or a goblin; she didn't look like one. She seemed intelligent enough to be half-centaur, but again, she didn't look like one. She might have been born with wings or green skin if she was half-sprite. That left only two possibilities: pixie or elf.

Anna-Maria shrugged. "I don't know. My mother never knew who my father was, or what he was for that matter. He was most probably an elf, or so Foaly tells me."

"Your mother didn't know your father? Then how…" Artemis' voice trailed off.

Anna-Maria's face reddened and she looked down and mumbled. "It wasn't exactly done the natural way."

"Oh." That was all Artemis could say to such a response. "Well, what fairy characteristics, other than your ears, do you have?"

"My height for one. I'm taller than fairies are supposed to be, but I'm very short by human standards. And I possess all of the fairy powers. I have the _Mesmer_, the power to shield, healing, longetivity, the gift of tongues. I'm also telekinetic, and I can manipulate images, but that's from my mother's family line. She came from a long line of psychics, although she herself wasn't one. "

"That explains a lot." Artemis admitted. "How old are you, anyway?"

Artemis then noticed that Anna-Maria was looking past him, not at him. He turned to see what she was looking at, and it was…Butler. The tall Eurasian man was pretending to be absorbed in a magazine.

Anna-Maria nodded in his direction. "That's your bodyguard, Butler, isn't it? I was wondering where he was."

"How do you know about Butler?"

Anna-Maria gave him a quizzical look. "Everyone in Haven knows about you and your bodyguard, Artemis Fowl. Butler is the only human in fairy history to have taken on a troll, and a rogue for that matter, and survived. It was really quite an amazing sight."

"You know about that, too? Wait, you saw it?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah, I saw it. I was reassembling an old hard drive for Foaly when it came on screen from Holly's camera."

"You know about Holly too? You were reassembling a hard drive? How old were you? Exactly how smart are you?"

Anna-Maria rolled her eyes. "So many questions! I thought you were supposed to be a genius, Artemis!"

"Well, I am. It's just that it's not everyday that you get to meet a half-fairy." Artemis answered. Oh great,He thought to himself. Now she thinks I'm a dullard.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," The half-fairy girl retorted. "There's not that many of my kind hanging around."

"I'm sure that you didn't show up here just to tell me all this for no reason." Artemis said, changing the subject.

"You're right. Foaly told me to tell you. He also wants me to bring you to Haven. Butler has to come too."

"Why?"

"Isn't a bodyguard supposed to follow you everywhere you go, except the bathroom?"

"No! I mean yes, but that's not what I was talking about." Artemis stumbled over his words.

"Oh, why do you have to come to Haven? I don't know, Foaly wouldn't tell me. I tried to hack into his files, but they're on a separate network on his personal laptop, and he always clings to it like a second skin; I would never have been able to get it while he was conscious."

Artemis was a bit surprised at the hacking part but decided not to go into the subject. "Fine, I'll call Butler over here." He lifted his hand to his mouth and whispered into the whisper-sensitive mike strapped to his palm. "Butler, can you come here please?"

The response was immediately heard through Artemis' earpiece. "What's up, Artemis? Any signs of danger?"

"No, Butler. No danger, at least not yet. It looks like we'll have to make a little trip."

Butler sighed. He had actually been beginning to enjoy himself. "What is it this time?"

"Do you have your binoculars?" Artemis asked.

"Of course."

"Use them. This girl next to me, look at her ears; that should be self-explanatory."

Butler sighed again. Teenagers. He was probably helping Artemis measure the girl's ears for an expensive pair of earrings. Still, he lifted the binoculars and looked. He drew in his breath sharply. "I'll be right there, Artemis."

"Very good." Artemis let his hand drop to his side. Then, to Anna-Maria, he said, "Butler will be here-" The seven foot tall bodyguard arrived behind his charge in a flash. "shortly." Artemis finished.

Anna-Maria cocked her head as she studied Butler's face. She showed none of the fear or apprehension that most fairies and humans exhibited at the sight of him. Finally, she smiled and said (in English, Butler is not very fluent in Gnommish.), "So this is the infamous Butler. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Likewise, except for maybe the 'finally' part." Butler replied. "I presume that you are a half-fairy?"

"Yes, I'm a half-fairy. But we'll talk about that later. Right now, I have to get you two to Haven. Follow me." Anna-Maria stood up and gathered her things into a backpack, one that looked similar to the ones used by the LEP. She slung the bag over her shoulder and began to walk toward an alley. "You might want to tell your parents that you're going somewhere."

"Right." Artemis took out his cell-phone and pushed the speed-dial button for Artemis Senior and Angeline Fowl.

"Hello?" Angeline's sweet motherly voice answered.

"Hello Mother. How are the twins doing?"

"Oh, hello, Arty. The twins are fine, but they miss you. Are you having a good time?"

"Yes, Mother. But I'm afraid I will take a while in getting back to the hotel. There are a few friends I need to visit."

"Well, alright Arty. But if you need to stay overnight, call and let me know."

"Yes, Mother. Please give Father my regards."

"Of course, Artemis. Have fun. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Artemis hung up and looked at Butler. "If my hearing was correct, which I'm sure it was, we were meant to follow Anna-Maria."

Butler nodded and followed his charge as he walked into the alley.

Chapter 2

Anna-Maria waited for them at the end of the alley. She pulled out some cam-foil from her backpack and handed a sheet each to Artemis and Butler. "Drape yourselves in cam-foil. I'm flying you to the nearest fairy transport location, which happens to be in Martina Franca, shuttle port E7. It will take about forty minutes to get to there from here. You've flown before, so you know what it's like. Any questions?"

"You are going to use mechanical wings, right?" Artemis asked.

Anna-Maria sighed and rolled her eyes again while Artemis pinched his forehead in frustration. What on earth is wrong with me? I can't think straight! He thought.

Butler leaned down and whispered in his charge's ear, "Look, Artemis. I know that you are going through puberty right now, and Anna-Maria is no doubt a very pretty girl, but please try to keep your head."

Anna-Maria silently but watchfully waited while Butler and Artemis put on the cam-foil. She looked them over quickly, making sure that no part of them was sticking out, and then clipped them to her moon-belt and activated her wings, allowing them to slide out of her backpack.

"I'm shielding now, okay?" She told the two wrapped-up males, who nodded and gave a slightly muffled "okay". Anna-Maria used her fairy magic to vibrate at a high speed, leaving only a slight shimmer in the air. She slowly moved the joystick up, sending the three of them hovering and moving upward gently.

The half-fairy, like all elves, loved flying. She smiled an invisible smile as the breeze whipped her hair back from her face while she flew over a lake, very, very slowly.

Artemis soon grew bored. Venice was beautiful, but the Mud Boy badly wanted to know what Foaly had in store for him. He turned to where he supposed Anna-Maria's face was. "If you were in a race against a snail, I believe that the snail would win. Can't you go any faster?"

Anna-Maria grinned, a grin incredibly similar to Artemis' vampire smile. "You want faster, you got it." She pushed the joystick forward. If Artemis had tried to reply, his words were immediately shoved back down his throat. G-force rippled his face, pulling his lips apart and forcing the air down his throat, filling his diaphragm quicker than was necessary.

I've flown fast with Holly, but this is ridiculous. Anna-Maria must hold the record for fast-flying. She reminds me of someone, but I can't figure out whom.Artemis thought.

Twenty minutes later, Anna-Maria slowed down a bit, enough for Artemis and Butler to catch their breath. "So, still too slow for you, Mr. Genius?" Unseen, Anna-Maria's eyes twinkled with mischief. She hadn't had this much fun since she had tricked Mulch Diggums into dying his hair blue.

Artemis took long, deep breaths. "No, definitely not too slow. Are we there yet?"

"Almost there. We'll land in about two minutes."

"Yippee for us." Artemis muttered. "You know, it's really unsettling to talk to someone you can't see."

"Hmmm… you'd think you'd be used to it by now, wouldn't you?"

"You are having so much fun taunting me, aren't you, Anna-Maria?"

"Who, me?" Anna-Maria said innocently. "Taunting the owner of the highest I.Q. in Europe? Don't be silly, why would I do that?"

This time it was Artemis who rolled his eyes. A rhetorical question. How lovely and unanswerable.

Anna-Maria slowed down and began to hover gently to the ground, landing like an expert, which she just might be. She unclipped the two Mud Men (well, one Mud Man and a Mud Boy) and folded her wings back into their sheath in her backpack.

Artemis and Butler shook themselves out of their foil wrappings and nearly lost their balance; they were so dizzy. Once Artemis' head was clear, he examined his surroundings. Of course, there was no sign stating that a fairy shuttle port was nearby. But there was a tree, with vines curling and squirrels running around it. "Hologram?" He guessed out loud.

"Very impressive, Master Fowl. Yes, it's a hologram."

Artemis interrupted for a second. "Artemis, please. I prefer that my friends call me Artemis." Except for Holly. He thought. She calls me 'Mud Boy'.

Anna-Maria continued as if he had not spoken. "Just walk through, and we'll be inside the shuttle port. Butler, you won't need to bend over or crouch. Foaly has modified everything since the last time you were here."

"Ladies first." Artemis insisted, always chivalrous no matter what the circumstances, something he had picked up from his father.

"If I can qualify as a lady." Anna-Maria muttered before walking into the holo-tree and disappearing.

Poor Artemis wondered what he was doing wrong. "Did I say something offensive?" He asked, turning to his bodyguard.

Butler only shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not a female."

Artemis sighed and slipped through the holographic tree. Butler followed of course, to find that they were indeed inside a shuttle port.

Anna-Maria was tapping her foot impatiently. "What took you so long?" She demanded. "All you had to do was walk through a tree that wasn't even there!"

"Sorry, last minute jitters, I suppose." Artemis lied.

But Anna-Maria was much more intelligent than she looked, and she looked very intelligent. "Why would you have jitters about walking through a hologram? You've rescued your father from the Russian _Mafia_, gone through a time-tunnel at least three times, jumped down from a three-story hotel, faced a pack of trolls, and trudged through deactivated plasma- that still had active sparks, might I add, to name a few instances where having last-minute jitters would have been a suitable excuse. You are usually known as a good liar, but your tone was uncertain and you blinked more than was necessary."

Artemis looked at her from a sideways angle. "You seem to know a lot about me."

Anna-Maria refused to meet his eyes. "I read your file and Butler's too. I like to know people before I meet them."

Butler decided to cut in before Artemis could ask (or offend) further. "Where are we going?"

"Holly and Foaly now work at Section Eight, a fact I know you are aware of. We will go there."

"And we will get there in a shuttle… how exactly?" Artemis asked.

"Don't look at me." Anna-Maria replied. "I'm not licensed to be piloting a shuttle, or any other type of fairy vehicle. At least, not yet I'm not."

"Oh?" Artemis asked. "You're interested in becoming a pilot?"

"Maybe, it depends on the events going on in my life. I've already passed my driving test. According to Foaly, I'll get my license in six weeks, although in actuality, I'll get it in four point five weeks. I didn't tell him that he miscalculated; he doesn't take that well."

"Uh, which shuttle are we taking?" Butler asked.

Anna-Maria looked around for a moment. "That one. Come, there's someone who's dying to meet you." She began walking towards the shuttle. When she noticed that Artemis and Butler hadn't followed her, she looked over her shoulder and called to them, "Come on! What are you waiting for?"

"You can look around later, Artemis. We really shouldn't keep anyone waiting." Butler told his young charge.

Artemis nodded. "Right you are, old friend. After you."

"Oh, no. You first, Artemis." Butler gave him a little push, propelling the boy towards the shuttle.

Anna-Maria gave him a half-smile. "Tell me something, Artemis. Do you always take an extra minute to pause and look at your surroundings?"

"Sometimes, if I'm in a life-threatening situation."

"Can you not do that so much right now? This isn't exactly a life-threatening situation."

"Sorry. So who's flying the shuttle?" Artemis asked.

"Yes, who is flying the shuttle?" Butler added, coming up behind Artemis.

"Can't you guess?"

The shuttle door slid open to reveal…

"Holly!" Artemis exclaimed.

Holly Short had previously quit the LEP when her mentor, Commander Julius Root, was killed by a villainous pixie and succeeded by Ark Sool, a gnome that only cared about his own position. She was a captain again, but this time for Section Eight, which was much more secretive than the LEP had ever been.

The redheaded elf now winked at her old ally with her left eye, the blue one. On their last mission together, they had swapped eyes in a time-tunnel. Now they each had one human, blue eye, and one fairy, hazel eye.

Unfortunately, they had also arrived three years into the future, and neither had aged, which caused havoc if anyone asked Artemis for his birth-date. Butler had not gone with them, and had been forced to explain to Artemis' parents about the People. Angeline and Artemis Senior more or less believed him until Artemis came back. Of course, Artemis got a surprise too when he came back to find that he was the big brother of twins.

"Hello, Mud Boy. Get in everybody."

Artemis, Anna-Maria, and Butler climbed into the shuttle, which lurched a bit as Butler did so.

"Sorry." The bodyguard apologized.

Anna-Maria just smiled at him and sat down as Artemis talked to Holly, and vice versa.

"What happened to your other eye, Artemis? Did you get an eye transplant?"

"Of course not, Holly. It's just covered by a blue contact lens." Artemis replied, plucking it from his eye and placing it in the case he carried in his pocket. "I wear it whenever I go out in public."

"That makes sense." Holly agreed.

A series of questions gnawed at Artemis' mind. "Holly, why didn't you ever tell me that you knew a half-fairy?"

"You never asked. Do you like her?"

"Yes, I like her, but I don't think she likes me very much."

"Give her time to get used to you, Mud Boy. Her mother died when she was six, and since then she was in the custody of the LEP until recently. Now she's in the custody of Section Eight. Both her mother and the LEP kept her away from humans. Ever since she was little, her only friends have been technology, books, and a few officers. She has never had any friends her own age."

"Not even any teenaged fairies?" Artemis asked.

"No, they don't understand anything she says; she's a genius, like you. Some of the more paranoid fairies are afraid she'll give them "Mud Man germs". And the fairy males bother her all the time."

"By teasing her for being half-human?"

"No, by following her around like lovesick maniacs. They're attracted to her looks and her intelligence. The poor girl can't get a nettle smoothie without a hundred boys offering to pay for it."

"It's that bad?"

Holly nodded.

"Well, maybe things will turn around for her."

"I hope so, she's really a very sweet girl. She just seems to be a little gruff. But I've noticed that she's gotten worse since what happened to Julius. He was like a father to all of us, but especially for Anna-Maria. I remember when she first met him. Commander Root used to yell at everyone, but she was only six, and she didn't know that. She was looking terrified and started trembling when Julius yelled at her."

"What happened then?"

"You wouldn't believe it," Holly said, grinning at the memory. "She actually yelled back, and her voice was twice as loud as Julius' had been! We all expected him to be angry, but he just laughed and said, 'She's a spunky one, I like her!' Still, he's gone now, and Anna-Maria misses him just as much as I do."

"Old wounds don't heal easily, especially spiritual and mental ones." Artemis said solemnly.

Holly patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about that, Artemis. Go sit down, and I'll take us away."

Artemis entered the passenger area and slid into a seat next to Butler. As the shuttle shot along the tunnel, the Irish boy unconsciously began to hum an old song that his father loved, the song was titled 'Is She a Girl, or Magic?'.

Butler recognized the tune and looked at Artemis out of the corner of his eye. The fourteen year-old caught himself and cleared his throat. "Uh, I was just checking my vocals."

"Sure, Artemis. You just keep telling yourself that." Butler muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Artemis asked.

"Oh, nothing of importance." Butler replied.

Artemis turned to the window and watched as Holly maneuvered the shuttle along the tunnel at an amazing speed.

Chapter Three

Foaly, The former technical consultant of the LEP, was there to greet the group when they arrived at Section Eight. "Hello there, Artemis, Butler. How was your trip?"

"It was eventful." They answered simultaneously.

"Good… I think. Come this way, I'll show you my new booth." Foaly replied as he trotted back to his office.

Artemis and Butler followed Holly and Anna-Maria as they entered the booth. A spider-like contraption launched itself at Anna-Maria and climbed up her arm to rest at her shoulder. "Antonio, my robotic pet." She explained. "I designed him myself. Say hello, Antonio."

Antonio looked at Artemis and a mechanical voice said, "Hello, you must be Artemis Fowl."

"Yes, I am. Pleased to meet you, Antonio." Artemis said with a smile.

"Yikes! Watch out!" Antonio screeched as he jumped off of his owner and retreated to a corner of the ceiling.

Anna-Maria ducked just in time to avoid getting hit by a buzz baton. She turned and grabbed the baton, and then pulling it, she wrenched it from its wielder's hands.

"Oh, and I almost got you this time." The speaker was Major Trouble Kelp. Still a member of the LEP, Trouble was a frequent visitor of Section Eight.

"That's as close as you'll ever get, Major." Anna-Maria told him as she handed him his buzz baton.

Foaly cleared his throat loudly.

"Oh, sorry. How are you, Foaly?" Trouble asked.

"Fine, but I'll be better when everyone listens to me." All eyes were on the centaur now. "Anna-Maria, would you mind leaving for a few minutes? I have to brief everyone now. And tell Antonio not to videotape this."

Anna-Maria strode toward the door. "Fine, it's not like you tell me anything, anyway. And you can tell Antonio yourself, he'll listen."

"Thank you. Antonio, no taping."

The robot's head spun around and made a nodding motion.

"Good. Now, I'm sure all of you are wondering why you are here."

Immediately, there was a simultaneous 'Yes'.

"Please explain yourself, Foaly." Artemis said.

"Well, today is Anna-Maria's birthday." Foaly said slowly.

"It is?" Butler said.

"Why didn't she mention it?" Artemis asked.

"Well, the day of her birth wasn't exactly a typical occurrence. Her mother screamed when she first saw her daughter's ears, and two doctors and a nurse fainted; they had to be mind-wiped."

"Oh, I see…I think."

"Never mind that. As I was saying, today is her birthday and she has turned fourteen.

"Is she only fourteen? I thought she has fairy longetivity."

"She does, she will live as long as normal fairies do, but she will never look older than twenty-five." Foaly explained.

"Hmmm, eternal youth. Interesting."

"Anyway, as I was saying, Anna-Maria is now old enough to decide whether she wants to remain in Haven or live with the Mud Men above ground." The centaur continued.

"And that has to do with me…what exactly?" Artemis asked.

Foaly took a deep breath. "Well, we want you to befriend Anna-Maria."

"Huh?" Of all the things people had asked of Artemis, this was the most unusual.

"As I'm sure Holly has already told you, Mud Boy, Anna-Maria doesn't really have any friends her own age. We want you to be her friend; it shouldn't be a problem, you two have a lot in common, except that Anna-Maria never had any criminal tendencies."

"Hey, I'm sorry about the bad guy thing!" Artemis told him for the eightieth time. "It ran in the family."

"Okay, okay, never mind that." Holly spoke up. "Now what are we going to do?"

"I'm going to do a few last DNA scans to find out who Anna-Maria's father is, or was, while Genius-boy here makes friends with our young fairy-girl." Foaly replied.

"Um, yeah, about that," Artemis stammered. "How am I supposed to do that? I didn't exactly hit the ball out of the park on my first try, if you know what I mean."

"Simple, fairy nature is to heal. And Anna-Maria is half-fairy. Pretend to stumble and hurt yourself, Anna-Maria will help you. That's when you make your move, meaning you spark her curiosity by starting an interesting conversation."

"Do I have to stumble? I don't want to seem like a dunce."

"Too late." Antonio chimed from the roof. Foaly glared at the robotic spider as his head sheepishly retreated into the metallic shell of his body.

"Yes, you have to. How else are we supposed to get her to talk to you?" Foaly said. "Don't answer that." He added quickly.

"Great," Artemis mumbled. "Now I have to trip myself on purpose just to talk to a girl."

Holly winked. "You'll get used to it soon enough, Mud Boy."

There was no need for Artemis to pretend. As he approached Anna-Maria, he noticed how pretty her hair was, how bright here eyes were, how clever she looked; and he ended up tripping over his own feet, making a bit of a _Crash! _Anna-Maria was so startled that she nearly jumped out of her skin.

Back in the Tech Booth, Holly and Trouble winced.

"Ouch." Holly said, peeking through one eye.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt, both inside and out." Trouble remarked.

Anna-Maria noticed that Artemis had cut his wrist, and blood was seeping from the cut. She sat beside him and gently took his hand, placing her own over his wrist.

Heal, come on, heal. She thought. A shower of blue sparks scurried over the injury, pushing the blood back in and knitting the skin together. Finally, the sparks subsided and Anna-Maria let go of Artemis' hand.

"Does it feel alright?" She asked.

Artemis felt the skin where it had been cut. "It feels great, thanks."

"No problem." Anna-Maria stood up to leave.

"Wait!" Artemis spoke up.

Anna-Maria turned to face him. "Yes?"

"Uh, you were mentioning something earlier about reassembling a hard drive at the time of Butler's scuffle with a troll."

"What of it?"

"How old were you?"

Anna-Maria smiled slightly and sat back down, this time across from Artemis. "Well, that was when you were twelve years old, but there is the three years that you…uh, missed. That's five years, and I'm fourteen today… I was eight, nearly nine years old."

"Foaly told you about Hybras?" Artemis asked.

"No, he barely tells me the names of the officers. I was eleven when it happened; I was going through a mischievous phase then, or so Foaly believes."

"Then how do you know?" Artemis asked.

Anna-Maria grinned. "I don't hack into Foaly's diary for nothing. I can't believe he thought that I wouldn't be able to unlock it; even though it was encrypted, it wasn't a difficult code to crack at all."

Artemis leaned forward and smiled his vampire smile. "You've read Foaly's diary? Any mention of me?"

Holly walked into the lounge to find Artemis and Anna-Maria sitting cross-legged on the floor, swapping stories.

"Nice to see you two getting along so nicely. But if you ask me, there are getting to be too many child geniuses in the world. I can name three right now, in order of who I met first." The elf captain began counting on her fingers. "Anna-Maria, Artemis Fowl, and now Minerva Paradizo."

"Genii." Artemis and Anna-Maria corrected simultaneously. "The correct plural form of 'genius' is 'genii'."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Anna-Maria raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Ignorance is what puts the limits on learning, Holly."

Artemis cut in smoothly. "Speaking of ignorance, have you ever seen _Baby Geniuses_?"

Anna-Maria made a face. "Yes, horribly irritating wasn't it? How can someone be expected to make a movie about super-smart beings if they themselves cannot produce a proper title? And now there's a sequel! Ugh, forget 'pass the popcorn'; pass the blindfold and earplugs, please!"

Artemis laughed, really laughed.

Holly looked up from her wrist computer. "Did Artemis Fowl, the Artemis Fowl, just actually laugh? Oh, no! That's a sign that the end of the world is near!"

Artemis smiled. "Oh, very funny, Captain Short."

Foaly stuck his head out through the door of his booth. His features were pale. "I hate to interrupt, but I've found something about Anna-Maria's father. I need to show you now."

Anna-Maria's face fell. "I'd rather not know just yet, Foaly. Can you tell me later? When I'm more…prepared?"

Foaly nodded. "Sure, I understand. Artemis, Holly, in here please."

Holly stood up and waited by the door for Artemis.

Artemis was still sitting across from Anna-Maria. The girl gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine, go ahead."

Artemis didn't completely believe her, but he had no choice. He turned back to look at her once more before leaving. She waved her hand at him, motioning for him to go.

Chapter 4

Foaly closed the door of his office and looked at all the anxious faces.

"So, are you going to tell us or not?" Artemis asked.

"I'm trying to think of a way to tell you." The centaur replied nervously.

"Spit it out, Foaly!" Holly said a bit impatiently. "We haven't got all day!"

"Okay, okay. The thing is, I've compared Anna-Maria's DNA with every elf male in my database. I found her father."

"And her father is…who exactly?" Trouble asked.

"Not is, was. It was Julius." Foaly said slowly.

Holly's voice trembled. "Julius who?"

"You know who, Julius…Commander Root."

"Wow, that explains why I can never beat her in combat training." Trouble said. Everyone turned to stare at him. "Sorry, completely irrelevant."

"Anna-Maria is Julius' daughter? But how?" Holly said. "You told us years ago that a fairy sperm ended up in a Mud-Man hospital in Venice. How did the commander's sperm get there?"

Foaly blushed. "Um, I…I took it without Julius knowing."

"What for?" Butler asked.

"I…I was going to use it to make a clone, just to see if it would work."

Artemis' eyebrow furrowed. "Cloning is illegal, Foaly, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but it was just an experiment. One that I never got to try." Foaly stammered.

"And you never thought that a missing fairy sperm and the birth of a half-fairy were related?" Artemis asked.

Foaly squirmed uncomfortably. "Hey, I know it was wrong, but something good came out of it. Anna-Maria is Julius' daughter, she has his DNA."

"I can't believe we never noticed the resemblance before." Holly murmured.

"Me neither." Foaly agreed. "She's just like her father. Same bright green eyes, same cleft chin, same jaw, same expression, same nose, well, hers is smaller, but the shape is the same."

No wonder I felt that I knew her from somewhere. I saw the late commander in her. Artemis thought. Aloud he said, "So who's going to tell Anna-Maria?"

All chatter came to an abrupt halt as everyone fell silent. No one wanted to tell Anna-Maria that she was an orphan. But it had to be done.

"I guess we'll all have to do it together." Trouble said eventually.

"Yeah, I guess we'll have to. Who votes that Foaly tells her first?" Holly said frivolously.

Two human hands, two elf hands, and one robotic hand went up.

"Oh, ha ha. You guys are so funny." Foaly commented dryly.

Foaly trotted slowly into the lounge. He glanced nervously at everyone behind him. "Do I have to do this?"

Holly gave him a little shove. "Hey, I'm not good at breaking bad news. You have more experience at that." And with that, she and Artemis pushed the centaur from behind until he was face to face with Anna-Maria.

Anna-Maria looked up at him. "Yes, Foaly? Do I have to vacate the lounge too?"

"N-no, that won't b-be necessary. I have news of your father."

"Must I be told now?"

"Yes, your father's identity is very important."

"Very well, then. Who is he?" Anna-Maria asked.

"Um, um…, I…"

"'Um' is hardly a name, Foaly. Hurry up and say it."

"Your father is...Julius! Julius was your father." Foaly blurted out.

"The late Commander Root? Are you joking?" Anna-Maria said with disbelief written on her face.

"No, I did DNA tests. You are Anna-Maria Root, daughter of the late Julius Root."

"So, I am an orphan." Anna-Maria said softly. "May I be excused?"

Foaly nodded, but Anna-Maria didn't see it; she was already on her way to her room.

She blinked the tears away from her eyes as the scanner read her pupil and iris, identifying her. Finally, the door slid open. Anna-Maria ran in and landed on her bed as the tears she had been holding back ran down her cheeks.

Once she was out of tears, Anna-Maria sat up and put her hand inside the collar of her shirt as she drew out a golden heart pendant on a chain from around her neck.

She opened it and looked at the two photographs placed inside. On one side was a photo of Anna-Maria's mother, a famous Italian actress. On the other side was a photo taken a few months before Commander Root's death. In the photo were Anna-Maria, Holly Short, Trouble Kelp, Mulch Diggums, Foaly, and Julius Root.

The LEP commander had protectively laid his hand on Anna-Maria's shoulder. Anna-Maria smiled at the memory. But there was something missing. Her eyes turned a deep violet as she ran her hand over the photo. Images of Artemis and Butler appeared next to her own. There, now it was perfect.

Anna-Maria closed the pendant and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had become green again. Could she really be Julius Root's daughter? She remembered his face as clearly as if he was standing right in front of her. For the first time, she noticed the now obvious resemblance.

Deep within herself, Anna-Maria heard Julius' voice. "I believe in you, Anna-Maria. Make me proud."

Anna-Maria spun away from her mirror and opened her closet. She had a job to do.

Chapter 5

Ark Sool had been the LEP commander for three years, but the old gnome still felt insecure. Some of the officers were a bit rebellious. Humph, Ark Sool thought. Julius has spoiled them. They have to realize now that the old elf is dead, he has been dead for three years now.

Suddenly, the door swung open as Anna-Maria strode in. She was dressed in a green jumpsuit and knee-high black boots, an LEP uniform.

Sool turned on her angrily. "And how, may I ask, did you get in here? This office strictly opens only for the commander!" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I didn't let you in."

Anna-Maria looked him in the eye with a rigid expression. The gnome cringed. He had already heard the rumor going around that the half-fairy girl was actually the daughter of the late Commander Root. When she looked at him, Ark Sool felt that it was Julius staring out at him. And Julius was dead.

Anna-Maria spoke firmly. "This office opened for commanders before you, Sool. _Your _office recognized _my _father's DNA, which I happen to have."

Ark Sool's eyes darted to the name tag on the girl's lapel. _Anna-Maria Root_. The gnome laughed, trying to hide his fear. "And you actually believe that Julius Root was your father? Stop playing with me and go learn your ABC's."

"I am way past my ABC's, _Commander_. I graduated from Fairy University at the age of twelve. Now sign this." She pushed a paper onto the desk.

"What is it?" Ark Sool leaned forward.

"Your resignation." Anna-Maria replied.

"What?! Why would I resign?"

"Because there is going to be a new commander. Me."

"No way, you are only fourteen years old, and half-Mud Man at that! The council would never approve of you."

"What I lack in years, I make up for with intelligence. And the council has already approved me. They like the idea very much, actually. I have lived with both humans and fairies, and I know the ways of both species. Now sign."

"No, I don't care what the council says. I am the commander, not you." Ark Sool replied stubbornly.

Anna-Maria's eyes turned from green to silver. "Very well, then."

Books floated off the shelves, plants were suspended in mid-air, and chairs moved on their own as Ark Sool found himself being invisibly pulled up to the ceiling. The old gnome screamed as he was twirled around and around. He had never encountered telekinesis before, and he didn't like it.

"Stop! Stop! I'll resign."

Anna-Maria's eyes regained their original color as everything settled back to normal. Ark Sool fell and landed in a chair.

She handed him a pen and waited while he shakily signed the paper.

"There you are, may I go?"

Anna-Maria held out her hand. "The commander's acorns, now."

Sool grudgingly handed them over and watched as Anna-Maria pinned them to her own lapel.

"Now you may go." She told him sternly.

Ark Sool lowered his head. "Commander, my previous job at Internal Affairs is no longer available. Please do not leave me on the streets. I need a job."

Anna-Maria perched on her desk and drummed her fingers on the metal in thought. "I don't like the secretary you picked. She's not doing her job properly. Are you interested?"

"Oh, of course! I'll start right away."

Anna-Maria nodded at him. "Good, I will inspect your work in a few hours. Hurry along."

Ark Sool saluted and left, closing the door behind him.

Anna-Maria shook her head with disapproval. Next the old gnome would probably throw a tantrum. But at least she was finally where she belonged. The girl sighed happily. She had found her niche.

Suddenly, Anna-Maria's bracelet vibrated. It was actually a fairy communicator that she had modified. Artemis also had one, but he had converted his to a ring.

Anna-Maria pressed a bead that served as a button and Foaly and Artemis' faces came on the screen in the middle of the bracelet. Artemis nearly fainted at the sight of Anna-Maria; she looked so pretty, and the jumpsuit matched her eyes and brought out the natural highlights in her hair. As it was, Artemis barely managed to stay on his chair.

Seeing that the Mud Boy was in a lovesick swoon, Foaly decided to speak first. "Well, I see that you are wearing the commander's acorns."

Artemis snapped out of his state and said, "Yes, congratulations, Commander Root."

"Anna-Maria, please. I prefer that my friends call me Anna-Maria."

Where have I heard that before? Artemis thought. Oh, that's right, I said it.

"How do you feel, Anna-Maria?" Foaly asked.

"I feel that I'm going to be having a lot more of those adventures that I've been wanting to have." Anna-Maria answered.

"You-you mean that you're going to go on missions and assignments, including above-ground ones, just as your father did? But, you are too tall for riding the hotshots; the pods are too small for you, you've said so yourself." Foaly said in disbelief.

"Well, we'll have to fix that, now won't we?" Anna-Maria replied with a mischievous smile. "By the way," She added. "The LEP needs a new technical consultant. Someone trustworthy and intelligent, and willing to work on a small budget. Do you know anyone?"

Foaly cracked his knuckles and went to work on his files. "I might."

While he worked, Anna-Maria broached the subject of the former commander. "About Ark Sool, think he'll be a good secretary?"

Foaly shrugged. "Beats me, I've never heard of him possessing any secretarial skills."

"I would gladly become your secretary." Artemis said unconsciously. "I would even work during the holidays, and you wouldn't have to pay me a cent."

Anna-Maria raised an eyebrow. "You are so eager to be a secretary?"

Artemis felt himself blushing. Had he said his thoughts aloud? "Well, that depends the answer, I suppose. And the answer is…?"

Anna-Maria winked at him. "I'll think about it. I have a feeling that we shall meet again soon."

Artemis grinned. "There is a story between every two people. Our story is far from over; it has just begun."

"In that case, farewell, Artemis Fowl. For now." Anna-Maria closed her communicator and sat back. Her life was going to get much more interesting, she could feel it.

She opened her pendant and looked at the two pictures inside. "I miss you, Mom and Julius. I hope you're proud of me."

Inside her mind, two voices answered. One was her mother's sweet tone. The other was in Julius Root's firm but gentle speech. Both answers were the same, "We miss you too. Remember who you are and believe in yourself. We love you."

Anna-Maria smiled and closed the heart-shaped pendant. Her eyes turned silver. It was time to give her new office a makeover. Apparently the Mud Man sci-fi style was in.

39


End file.
